Louisa Zolkiewski Recognised for Positive Contribution to Life at MRC Harwell

Trinity DPhil student Louisa Zolkiewski has been recognised for her positive contributions to life at the MRC Harwell research centre.

The annual Weilin Wang prize is presented annually to the PhD student who has made the largest contribution to life at MRC Harwell beyond their research activities. Louisa was commended for her dedication, enthusiasm, commitment, and support for others that 'shines across MRC Harwell.'

Alongside a PhD project focusing on how certain genetic variants can affect fat distribution and lead to metabolic disease, Louisa is also an environmental representative at MRC Harwell, working as part of a diverse committee to implement a range of schemes to reduce the impact of our research on the environment.

On winning the award, Louisa Zolkiewski said: ‘Thank you to everyone who nominated me for the Weilin Wang Prize – I was completely shocked to find out I had won! I am grateful to everyone at Harwell who has trained and supported me throughout my PhD. It has been a pleasure to work with people who have expertise in so many different areas, and to have the chance to contribute to wider research at Harwell.’

‘While I am nearing the end of my DPhil, I want to stay in research and hope to be able to combine my interests in understanding the implications of genetic mutations on disease with targeting these to develop biomarker assays or personalised treatment options.’

The award is named after Weilin Wang, who was in the second year of her PhD when she tragically died while on a climbing holiday in Scotland in 2008. Since then, the Weilin Wang Prize has been awarded annually in her memory and in recognition of the personal qualities that made Weilin stand out as such an exceptional student by celebrating students who similarly contribute greatly to the life of the research unit